A little background …
I started an adventure club for kids who were living with cancer. It was called Nancy’s Club https://nancyslist.org/nancys-club.
Every weekend, the kids and their families would go on adventures in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Club offered these youngsters a sense of belonging to a community with others who shared their challenges. They listened generously to one another, offered support, found hope, strength, healing, fascination, empowerment (“WOW! I can DO this!”), friendship, AND they always laughed and had fun.
They loved the adventure, the fun, the friends, the laughter, and the food.
I/we had the most fun.
We gathered together, checked in on each other, shared stories … and we held hands.
I was beyond delighted that I could offer them the possibility of being a kid without the label of being a “cancer kid.”
It was wonderful.
And then … I discovered Camp Okizu in northern California.
They offer camp experiences for children living with cancer as well as their siblings and families … for free.
I encouraged our families to consider this opportunity and many of them went … and they loved it.
And then I discovered Camp Kesem which is a camp for kids who have a parent living with cancer. These camps are all over the U.S. and are supported and managed by college kids.
Many of our kids went and they loved it … as did their families.
I fell in love with camps.
The Yale Child Study Center recently found that kids who attend camp showed improved confidence, higher self-esteem, a greater sense of independence, and an increased interest in social activities.
Their research revealed that children’s stress related to their illness decreased as a result of the camp experience.
Camp matters and it matters even more to kids who are battling serious illness.
Camps soothe the soul.
And camps are FUN!
We are all about fun at camp,
but we are also extremely proud of the indisputable fact
that camp goes far beyond giggling, joke-telling, and crazy games.
Even if you are not searching for a camp, check out this Directory. I think you will be moved by the generosity, commitment, and creativity of the zillions of folks who make these opportunities available to the cancer community.
I am wildly impressed by the amazing people who are dedicated to providing a camp experience for kids who are living with cancer.
These camps, with a few exceptions, are not financed by foundations. They are funded by their communities, sometimes small rural towns, working together to make camp happen for our kids. They are fundraisers, counselors, cooks and bottle washers, doctors and nurses and social workers who volunteer and do everything they can to make each camper comfortable and fearless and courageous.
They understand and want to share the powerful healing that is offered at camp … the emotional healing that comes with a sense that you are not alone, that you can make new friends who truly know who you are, that others share your fears and your uncertainties, that there is always hope, and that singing a camp song and making s’mores with your cabin-mates under a starry sky is just fantastic.
I have listed many awesome camps in beautiful places all over the country, along with photos and videos of camp life.
Just click on the name of the camp or click the arrow on the videos so you can find more information.
Please contact me at [email protected] if you know additional camps that should be listed in our directory.
Disclaimer: Nancy’s List and I do not endorse nor recommend any of these camps. Although I have done my best to evaluate these resources and to list only those that fulfill the criteria for inclusion, you will need to assess whether a camp is appropriate for your child and your family.
Rochelle Prosser says
Hi Nancy,
Thank-you! I learned about camps I had no idea existed in Florida! I have one more to add. Camp Fiesta. They take the children to Disney for a week and it is located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.